More TRA officials netted in corruption Accused of smuggling containers

By The guardian reporter

Rukwa Regional Commissioner Said Magalula

 A Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) Customs Official at the Tanzania-Zambia border post of Kasesya in Rukwa Region is in police custody accused of smuggling a sandalwood container which was en-route to China.

 

Rukwa Regional Commissioner Said Magalula confirmed the arrest saying he was handed over to the Regional Police Commander Jacob Mwalwanda for interrogation.

 

The RC identified the official as Michael Mwingila and detailed that the suspect is alleged to have facilitated the process of allowing the China-destined container of sandalwood to get into the country without payment of taxes.

 

He said the accused permitted a lorry registration number T427 ASG which was loaded with 317 pieces of sandalwood logs (value not established) to go through the border illegally.

 

“The vehicle had forged documents and was coming from neighbouring Zambia enroute to Dar es Salaam,” RC Magalula detailed. 

 

The RC said the lorry entered the country on December 3, this year from Zambia with documents purporting to shows that it had been cleared in the neighbouring country; “but when inspected it was discovered that they were fake... it had passed through four different departments in Zambia,  but all signatures were of one person.”

 

“They forged documents, the logs weren’t even bear the stamp  of the  Natural Resources Office,” the RC alleged.

 

 “I don’t know why this customs officer allowed the sandalwood-loaded container to get into the country without genuine documents…I suspect something fishy here. We need to investigate and legal steps would be taken,” he said.

 

According to RC Magalula, the documents were issued in the Zambian capital, Lusaka and directed to get into Tanzania through the Tunduma border post; “but for unknown reasons, the transporters of the container decided to use the Kasesya border post contrary to the directives made by the Zambian authorities,” he noted.

 

Summing up his briefing, he suggested the need for all border post staff across all departments be transferred and replaced by new trustworthy staff.

 

On his part, Rukwa Regional Natural Resources Officer, Martin Hamis alleged that people in the sandalwood business harvest trees in Tanzania and take them to Zambia through unregistered routes and dublicate fake documents to return them as Zambian property set for export  at the Dar es Salaam Port.

 

“When we seized the container, my office contacted our colleagues in Zambia and they denied to have issued such documents...even in Zambia there is strict prohibition against harvesting sandalwood trees,” he said.

 

“This is what made us to conclude that the logs were harvested in Tanzania and documents were forged,” Hamis said.

 

Kalambo District Commissioner, Willman Ndile faulted public officials at the Kasesya border post accusing them of operating contrary to the law; “it is high time for public officials to change their mindsets and work according to the law,” he said.

 

 “The current government is serious and those who won’t cope with the speed their jobs will be in jeopardy. Corruption should be history, this government won’t tolerate such kind of people,” the DC warned.

 

Unlike many other aromatic woods, the heavy, yellow and fine-grained sandalwoods retain their fragrance for decades. 

 

Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods and both the wood and the oil produce a distinctive fragrance that has been highly valued for centuries. Consequently, species of this slow-growing tree have suffered over-harvesting in the past century and Tanzania is no exception with her sandalwood trees in danger of extinction from over logging.